


Rest

by GoringWriting



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Hurt Tony Stark, POV Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Feels, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric, and he gets one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 05:07:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18653521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoringWriting/pseuds/GoringWriting
Summary: **CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ENDGAME. FOR THE SUMMARY OF THE FIC SEE THE BEGINNING NOTE INSIDE. THANK YOU!**





	Rest

**Author's Note:**

> Tony Stark is Death. Too bad Lady Death prefers he not stay that way. A fix it fic for what we all know is now 'that scene'
> 
> I didn't want to give anything away with the tags yet so #Morgan Stark #temporary character death #Lady Death

When Tony is aware again he feels soft hands on his face caressing his cheeks softly. The hands are familiar, gentle and loving and he opens his eyes and stares up into the sky. Warmth filling his body and he glances around and sees a beautiful woman kneeling by his head.

“Hello again my precious Tony. It has been a while, hasn’t it,” She says with a small smile and Tony looks up at her and feels like he knows her.

“Do I know you?” Tony asks and she smiles softly and takes his hands in hers.

“Once upon a time you did. Several times actually. I am Lady Death,” she says and touches the side of his head and it’s a jolt through his system and he closes his eyes and opens them up and he’s five years old and staring up into the same woman’s eyes and he feels safe.

“Pretty,” he hears himself say and she smiles.

“You are so young, What is your name? What happened to you?” she asks stroking a hand through his hair.

“Kidnapped. Howard wouldn’t pay,” Tony says and she looks sad.

“Pretty shouldn’t be sad,” Tony says and pats her cheek.

“I won’t be for long,” she says.

“Yay!”

“Aren’t you a charmer,” she says and Tony smiles then frowns when the vision shifts. He’s older now. Nearly ten and the woman his holding him again.

“Another kidnapping?” she asks and he shakes his head.

“Howard got drunk,” he says softly and she holds him tightly.

“You don’t ever have to see him again. You can stay with me, here,” she says.

“But...Mom,” he says sadly and his vision swims.

He wakes up back when he must have been with Ten Rings because he can still feel the throb in his chest from the operation. The woman is holding him.

“Oh my sweet Tony. I wish I could send you back. You have so much life ahead of you. But, there are no more revivals. Not without something in return,” she says pressing her lips to his cheek tears in her eyes.

“What sort of return?” he asks softly and the vision ends and he’s back in real time.

“Now you see,” she says.

“Lady Death. How do I know you? I mean I know how I know you but I thought people would only meet you once?” he asks and rubbing his hands together.

“I have a soft spot for children. I sent you back to the world when you were a child. Multiple times. Sometimes because of your father and sometimes because you were kidnapped. I hated sending you back but you were in love with life. It was so wonderful. Then you came to me as an adult and I was so sorry that I couldn’t send you back. Not without payment…” she says.

“What sort of payment? What did I agree to?” Tony demands, hand punching the ground beneath him. 

“You agreed to become my reaper. For as long as your quota was active you would live a life as long as you wanted,” she says.

“That’s why things that should have killed me never did. Electricity, fire, Rogers, Thanos...wait did that mean that Thanos finished off my quota?”

“It was your life that finished the quota. Normally the finish off of a quota is not the reaper themselves. Most go on to live a normal life after they finish. That’s the point of the deal. But you...I am so sorry,” she says softly.

“That means that there’s no going back,” Tony says thinking about Pepper and Morgan and how he'll never see them again.

“There is a way…there are reapers who enjoy the immortality that being a reaper provides. Which is why reapers always have the ability to extend their quota…”

“Wait...why didn't I know? You make it sound like reapers know what they are. But I had no idea,” Tony says.

“I took your knowledge of the deal from your mind. Just like I took myself from your mind when you were a child. I saw how much you hated the lives you took with the weapons you took and I saw who you would become. You would have met your quota eventually while being a hero. Every life that was lost for your safety or the safety of the world counted. Every member of the Ten Rings, every Chitauri, every Ultron, every member of Thanos’ army that you killed counted. Vanko and Stane counted too.”

“So Iron Man is a murderer,” Tony says thinking about all the things he's been called in his life.

“No. That’s why I didn’t want you to remember the deal. If you had it would have tainted every action you ever did. It would have made everything you ever did cheap and meaningless to yourself and to those you care about. You were the best reaper I ever had, because you weren’t a reaper, you were a hero. There are reapers out there who kill just to make their quota, they kill without thought and they don’t hold a candle to who you are,” she says and Tony feels the clenching in his chest loosen a little when he thinks about how Lady Death made Morgan possible.

“I...thank you,” Tony says.

“You are welcome. And at least now you can rest,” she says helping to his feet.

Rest. That’s what Pepper had told him to do. She had said he could rest now. But how could be rest when he knows that he’s left the loves of his life. His wife and daughter. He knows they’ll be okay. That Rhodey and Happy will keep them safe when Pepper can’t, which Tony knows won’t be often, but for once in his life he wants something. He wants his family back.

Since when has rest been in his vocabulary.

“I don’t want to rest. I want my family. I want my life that I earned through years of fighting the things people fear will end them. I deserve my life,” Tony says.

“I am sorry Tony. But adults cannot return to life without payment,” she says sadly.

“Then I’ll pay. I want to extend my contract. Give me another quota to fill and I’ll fill it,” Tony says resolve hardening in his chest.

He is going to see his family again.

“Tony,” she says.

“Don’t Tony me, I have spent years on the end of my name with that same inflection. I am Tony Stark and I don’t stop fighting for what I want and right now, what I want more than anything on this Earth is to see my girls again and hold them close and put Morgan to bed at night. Tell her funny stories and steal her nose. I have spent the last ten years of my life fighting to get this, to get a family. I deserve this and I am going to get it back,” Tony says.

“You haven’t changed Tony. Your light is still as strong as ever,” she says and Tony looks down at his chest and she taps her chin.

“Alright. I will give you a quota and you can return to life. However I will send you to Dr. Strange first so that you may be able to plan how to reveal yourself to your family. You and I both know what some sort of resurrection would be difficult to explain. Even for you. Dr. Strange, aside from Thor, would be the most likely to understand what and who I am and who can appreciate exactly what your situation is,” she says and Tony bows his head.

“Goodbye Tony. I pray that the next time I see you will be the day you can truly, finally rest,” Lady death says and pulls him into her arms for a hug and he falls through her and everything is shifting and he feels like he did when he was racing that car when Whiplash had attacked him. 

Colors blend together and he’s spinning and when his vision returns to normal he’s laying on the ground staring up into a familiar face blocked by a familiar orange magic circle thingy. Tony never thought to ask Strange what he calls them.

“Hey Rabbit Tricks. I bet this wasn’t one of the fourteen million,” Tony says a smile on his face and he sees Strange lose focus and his powers flicker out.

“Stark?” Strange says eyes wide and a shaking hand reaches up to touch his shoulder.

“Hey you wanna touch you gotta buy me a cheeseburger at least. Now, how long has it been,” Tony asks batting Strange’s hand away.

“A day, maybe two since the funeral...how?”

“Apparently I now work as a reaper for Lady Death...again. It’s a long story,” Tony says.

“I’ll bet,” Strange says and they spend the entire night talking. Tony filling him in on everything.

The next morning Strange portals them up to the cabin...home. He watches as Strange walks up to the front door and his cloak, Levi, as Tony fondly calls them, presses the bell and he watches as Pepper, his sweet strong Pepper answer the door, her face flushed, tears dried on her cheeks and Tony’s heart breaks a little. 

He watches as Strange speaks a few words to Pepper and her eyes shoot to the tree Tony is hiding behind and the hope on her face hurts his heart so much that his body works on autopilot and he steps out to where she can see him. He watches her mouth his name tears falling fresh from her eyes now.

“Morgan!” Pepper calls out and then starts running towards him and crashes into his body, knocking him back and they fall to the ground and she presses her lips to his.

“It’s true. You really are here,” she says kissing him again and again.

“Daddy!” he hears a squeal in time for another strong powerful woman to join their hug.

“I missed you,” Tony says burying his face in her hair.

“I love you 3000 daddy,” she says hugging him.

“I love you 3000 too,” he whispers and sobs into her hair.

“Why daddy sad?” she asks.

“Daddy is very happy. Sometimes when he’s happy he cries,” Tony says.

“Boys are weird Mommy,” Morgan says and Pepper laughs and hugs both his girls close as he watches Strange step back through the portal.

Tony is finally home.

Now, he can rest.


End file.
